Posted on: Monday, December 10, 2001

60 Seconds on Business
Career development motivates employees

By Dr. Drake Beil
President, Solutions Inc.

Do you feel you have a future with your company? Satisfied employees feel they have a future with their firm. They know where they are and where they're going. They're motivated by it.

This is called a career path, and most employees don't have them despite the fact that the opportunity for advancement creates a direction and a foundation for performance, appraisals and evaluations. That's actually one of the retention problems in the military, because when officers are passed over for promotions, they know their careers have hit a wall. How do they stay motivated knowing they're going nowhere?

I believe that most people want to get ahead and be considered for a better job. It usually means more money and greater status, but you'd be amazed at how many people have no clear idea what it takes or how to get promoted.

You can create this opportunity for advancement and harness the power of motivation by setting up a career development program for your employees. These programs identify the job skills needed at each level of the organization and spell out how your employees can get them. They should understand the time frames expected and see the path clearly.

Whether their skills develop through internal training programs, through professional seminars, home correspondence courses, or whatever, your employees will get a glimpse of a preferred future and how to get there if they want to try. This is a strong motivator and if implemented properly, it can create a lifetime commitment.

Reach Dr. Drake Beil at drake@60secondsonbusiness.